Note to Customers: Don't Piss off the Dark Jedi!
by NarundiJedi
Summary: NOW COMPLETE! Kyp Durron soon learns that trusting Han is a bad idea! Wes Janson learns to keep his mouth shut!
1. A Bittersweet Victory

Brodey kicked his feet up onto the table and gazed around the dimly lit cantina. The cheers of his fellow Rogue Squadron buddies and numerous members from other squadrons filled the room with a deafening din as they celebrated their recent victory over the Yuuzhan Vong. He managed a small smile while he sipped on his caf. It was only a small victory, one that could be due to sheer luck. It wasn't like him to get excited over small victories when they had such a long way to go before they defeated the Vong, but he did feel a little bit of encouragement from seeing them douse each other in lomin ale. After all, they'd been fighting in this war for longer than he'd been around. Such high morale for a war-weary bunch couldn't be a bad thing.   
  
"Lieutenant!" Cried Gavin Darklighter from over at the bar. "Can I buy you a pint of ale?"   
  
"No thanks, I'm all set," Brodey called out. Some of his fellow officers, already fairly tipsy, groaned at his reply and motioned him over to the bar. He gave them a wave of refusal as he continued to sip on his hot beverage.   
  
He watched with amusement as Wes Janson, commander of the Yellow Aces, "absent mindedly" poured half a bottle of Corellian brew down the back of Face Loran's dress uniform. Face howled angrily, spinning around to swipe at Wes, who had conveniently ducked out of the way and was halfway across the room at that point. A snickering Hobbie Klivian followed closely behind him, serving as Wes's bodyguard and partner in crime. Brodey grinned at the two older men and their antics. It was the sort of thing his younger brother might try and pull on whoever was dumb enough to not watch their back when he was around.   
  
A lull came over the room and Brodey peered over the top of his mug at the tall, dark-haired man who had parted the crowd. The man was clad in a shiny black and silver flight suit and a black cape shimmered behind him like a mist as he walked toward where Brodey was sitting. From the metallic glint at his hip and the smug smile plastered across his face, Brodey had a pretty good idea of who the man was.   
  
  
_"Well kid, I guess this is goodbye for a while," Han said gruffly, clapping Brodey on the shoulder. "Just a word of caution before you go."   
  
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Brodey asked as he slung his pack over his shoulder.   
  
"If some jedi in a sparkling black cape comes to bother you, give him hell." Han said simply.   
  
"Will do."_   
  
  
"Whatever it is that you're selling, I'm not interested," Brodey stated after swallowing a mouthful of hot caf. If some flashy-looking jedi pilot thought he could waltz in with his squadron and immediately get Brodey to join him he had something coming to him. And it wouldn't be pleasant.   
  
"Sharp-tongued, defiant by nature," The man observed, the corners of his mouth curling upward in amusement. "Just some of the many things I've heard about you."   
  
"Well, it's great that I'm such a celebrity, but if you'll excuse me I think some of my friends want me to come and join them," Brodey said tensely, bringing his mug down hard on the glass table.   
  
"Wait!" The man cried and Brodey felt a powerful influence pressing on his mind as he got up from his seat. He spun around in annoyance at having his mind forcefully tampered with and shoved back at the man with his own mind. The man's hold on him broke instantly, the force of Brodey's blow nearly knocking him off his feet if not for a table being in the way to stop his fall. The man seemed a bit stunned at Brodey's open demonstration of strength but nothing prepared him for being grabbed by the shirt collar and shoved swiftly against the wall.   
  
"I wouldn't try that again if I were you," Brodey hissed in a whisper as he extended out a single claw and placed it near the man's temple. "Now tell me why you're bothering me. Better yet, who the Sith are you?"


	2. Using the Dark Side

"My name's Kyp. Kyp Durron," The man said in a surprisingly calm voice, his eyes flickering with concentration. He was the one that Brodey had suspected, the one that everybody had been warning him about. "I'm a jedi master. I came here hoping to get to meet you."   
  
"You only wanted to meet me?" Brodey said with a sneer. "You didn't come here wanting something from me? I find that hard to believe, given your reputation."   
  
"I was going to propose something to you, if you'd give me the time of day," Kyp said hesitantly, looking directly into Brodey's eyes but paying more attention to the claw that was dangerously close to his eye. "When I heard about your amazing piloting skills I figured you were at least a force adept."   
  
"Let me get this straight," Brodey laughed derisively, dragging his razor sharp claw down the jedi master's cheek. A bead of blood trickled from the superficial wound and followed Brodey's finger as it moved further down Kyp's face. "You're not trying to get me to join your squadron. You've come here looking for a new apprentice."   
  
"That's correct," Kyp said evenly, not flinching despite the murderous spark in the younger man's eyes.   
  
"Well, aren't you self-righteous?" Brodey exclaimed. "You think you can pull that little jedi parlor trick on me and bend me to your will?"   
  
Kyp stared at the youth, still saying nothing as sweat beaded up on his forehead. If that wasn't enough evidence of his increasing nerves then the growing tightness in his throat certainly convinced him.   
  
_'If nerves are even causing it,'_ Kyp thought to himself as his throat constricted rapidly and little black dots appeared in his vision. He utilized the technique he'd learned from Master Skywalker to block that particular attack. The air burst back into his lungs with great difficulty and he wondered if this situation was a little more than he could handle.   
  
"What is he doing now?" Gavin asked as he swiveled around on his barstool to see where Wes was pointing. "Oh, not again! Lieutenant Narundi, I think that's a rather bad idea you've got there."   
  
"Yeah Brodey, don't you know who that is?" Wes asked and then added in a very audible whisper. "Sithin' Durron!"   
  
Kyp's gaze flickered over at the pilot and he narrowed his eyes into slits. Wes Janson knew a warning when he saw one, and stepped back a bit.   
  
"Come on Brodey, I know you can behave in a more appropriate manner," Gavin said, ignoring Wes's comment.   
  
"Where does it say that I have to act appropriately?" Brodey challenged, raising an eyebrow at his commanding officer. "Major Janson has gotten by for years while acting like an eleven year old."   
  
"Lieutenant, I order you to stand down," Gavin said firmly, his voice taking on a dangerous tone.   
  
"Fine," Brodey hissed, releasing his hold on the jedi master. "Sorry to disappoint you, Durron, but I'm unavailable at the moment. Besides, I don't think you'd want me even if you could have me."   
  
Brodey looked warily at Kyp one last time and then walked slowly back to his table. His shoulders felt like a slightly heavier weight had been dropped on them and he suddenly wished he could go back to base and sleep forever. He'd used the dark side on another living being, albeit an infuriating one, and he longed for the peace of unconsciousness.   
  
He'd almost reached his seat in the corner of the bar when a hand reached out and firmly gripped his shoulder. It took every tiny bit of his strength to hold back the fury that was quickly bubbling over inside of him.   
  
"Dark jedi, huh?" Kyp asked, a hint of arrogance coating his voice. Brodey closed his eyes, fighting for serenity as his muscles primed themselves for an attack. "Contrary to what you may believe, there's nothing you could have done that would make me reject you."   
  
"Leave. Now," Brodey gasped, trembling with wrath as the dark energy curled around his fingertips.   
  
"Listen kid, I just want to help you," Kyp said softly. "Why don't we go - "   
  
Brodey cut him off by lashing out with icy tendrils of force lightning, which Kyp effectively dispelled harmlessly to the ground.   
  
"Been there, done that," Kyp muttered. "Is that the best you can do?"   
  
"Well," Brodey said, cracking his neck to the side. "We could always settle things the simple way."   
  
"FIGHT!" Screamed Wes as Brodey swung a right hook at Kyp's jaw, knocking him over.


	3. A Really Funny Guy

Everyone that was looking for a good show, which was pretty much every single being in the bar, crowded around to gape at the two men scrambling to get a good shot at each other. Their shouts and cheers resembled those of people watching a blob race on Ord Mantell.   
  
The smell of testosterone was so thick in the air that Brodey almost gagged on it, focusing instead on delivering a good strong kick to Kyp's midsection. The jedi master exhaled forcefully as the air was knocked from him. Before Kyp had time to regain his composure Brodey followed that blow up with an elbow to the back of the neck, sending the older man to the floor.   
  
"I warned you not to mess with me, Durron," Brodey whispered callously as he circled like a mynock around Kyp, who was struggling to right himself. "Now you'll understand why."   
Concentrated fury flowed through his veins like icicles and he allowed himself to stop fighting it and become absorbed by his own darkness. In the back of his mind he could almost hear his uncle's words of praise as he picked Kyp up with the force and threw him across the room into a table.   
  
"Lieutenant, stop this at once," Gavin ordered, reaching out to grab Brodey's shoulder but then recoiling as Brodey slashed at him, eyes blazing with rabid fury.   
  
"This is my own fight, Colonel," Brodey warned. "Let me finish."   
  
"Brodey, you can consider your days with Rogue Squadron over as of now," Gavin said simply, turning on his heel and pushing through the crowd on his way out the door. Brodey watched him leave but became aware of a rise in the crowd's excitement.   
  
_'This Kyp is stupider than I thought,'_ Mused Brodey. _'He just doesn't know when to quit.'_   
  
Brodey feigned inattention and waited until the crowd's anticipation reached a peak before spinning around with a skull-crushing backhand. His fist slightly missed its mark and landed above Kyp's jaw on the side of his face. Inaccurate or not, it still served its purpose as the jedi master hit the floor unconscious.   
  
"What's going on in here?" Asked an impatient voice. Brodey turned to see a very small woman wearing a flight suit that matched Kyp's push her way through the crowd. She took one look at the unconscious man on the floor and frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest and giving Brodey a look he'd seen many times on the face of his own father.   
  
"Who gave you the permission to assault one of my men?" She asked harshly, walking up to him and sticking a finger in his face.   
  
"You might want to remove the finger if you don't want to lose it, Commander," Brodey said condescendingly, looking down at the tiny woman who had the nerve to push him around.   
  
"He's no longer under our jurisdiction, ma'am," Wes said nervously. "Colonel Darklighter relieved him of his commission just a minute ago. It would be wise if you removed your finger. He really is one crazy son of a Hutt."   
  
Brodey glanced in Wes's direction as the Major was pushed by an invisible hand back against the bar.   
  
"Did I say crazy son of a Hutt?" Wes groaned. "I meant really nice, funny guy!"   
  
"I don't care if you're not in a squadron anymore," Jaina hissed, now fuming. "You just beat up one of my closest friends and I don't allow people to get away with that sort of thing."   
  
"And just what do you think you're going to be able to do to me, sweet stuff?" Brodey taunted. "Challenge me to a bake-off?"   
  
A hush came over the crowd as Jaina removed a sliver cylinder from her hip and ignited it, bathing all the surrounding faces in an eerie violet glow.


	4. Solo

"Oh man, you have got to be joking," Brodey scoffed. "You're going to attack an unarmed man with a lightsaber?"   
  
"I know better than to believe you're truly unarmed," She retorted, pointing her blade toward him. "The dark side is full of deception."   
  
"And you believe that trash?" He replied, cocking his head to the side and smiling at her.   
  
"I sure don't trust you," She said simply, cautiously eyeing his every move.   
  
"Smart girl," Brodey laughed, igniting the dual bladed saber that had traveled from his pack to his hand in the blink of an eye. He spun around quickly, brandishing his blade in an effort to intimidate the girl. If she flinched she showed no outward signs. Her concentration was fixated on his every move as she moved into a fighting stance.   
"Whenever you want your sound beating, feel free to attack."   
  
"A jedi never attacks," She replied sternly, still waiting in a ready position and sizing up her opponent.   
  
"Please, spare me the lecture on what it means to be a jedi," Brodey hissed. "I remember it well. Look at it this way, genius. I just attacked your friend before you got here. Now, why don't you move your princess behind from that spot and defend him?"   
  
The young woman responded by setting her jaw and lunging at him, her blade high in the air. She brought it crashing down against his aqua blade in an explosion of sparks, pressing him into a defensive position. Brodey quickly dodged to the side and turned her own attack against her, causing her to scramble to block his next flurry of attacks.   
  
"Is this a bad time to mention that this is my area of expertise?" Brodey drawled arrogantly as he continued to overpower his substantially shorter adversary.   
  
"It doesn't matter," She snapped back. "I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve."   
  
"Yeah, come on Solo!" Screamed Wes. "Kick his sorry butt from here to the Unknown Regions!"   
  
_'Solo?'_ He thought through his enraged haze as he stared at the girl who was fiercely holding her own against him. The subtle nuances of the way she carried herself, of the expressions on her face, and her loyalty proved to him the obvious. This woman, the one he'd engaged in combat, was the jedi daughter of Han Solo.   
  
Han. The thought of the older man, his mentor, felt like a spike had been driven through his abdomen. Brodey fought on but only with a half-hearted numbness, his thoughts mainly on the horrible things he'd done when he'd let himself slip. He imagined Han's look of disapproval when he found out that Brodey had squandered all that the older man had done for him. It was frightening how identical the Solo look of disappointment was to his father's. It was worse than the ghosts of dead loved ones that haunted him through the force when he allowed it to seep in. It was a real life reminder of what a failure he'd become.   
  
He'd let his friend down. Han had called him "kid" and been like a father to him when nobody else cared if he was vaped out of existence by the Vong. He'd let his father down a second time. The self-loathing he felt sank like a durasteel weight right down to the very core of his being. He'd allowed the dark side to ruin one of the best things he had going for him and convince him that fighting these people, his allies, was really worth it.   
  
"No," He muttered simply, stepping away from her attack and disengaging both ends of his lightsaber with a simple flick of his wrist.   
  
"What is this, another trick?" Solo's daughter asked, out of breath. She stood a safe distance away, still poised for his next attack.   
  
"No tricks," He sighed, turning his back to her and walking away. His mouth was drier than a Tattooine desert and if there was ever a time that he wanted to curl his overly large form up into a ball in the corner, this was it. Instead he fell into a chair to the side of the room and buried his head in his hands, leaving the crowd of stunned on-lookers staring in wonder.


	5. Don't Start Again

The young woman cautiously edged closer to where Brodey was seated, moving only a step at a time with her lightsaber up for protection. "Are. . .are you all right?"   
  
Hot tears of shame burned in his eyes as he continued to hide his face in his hands. The horrific reality of his situation was setting in, causing his head to buzz and his stomach to churn. Now, more than ever, he was a complete and utter failure.   
  
"This night just keeps on getting weirder," Wes muttered to Hobbie as he shook his head and turned back around to order another drink. He was slightly disappointed to find the bartender absent. "And the service just keeps on getting crappier."   
  
Solo's daughter finally crept within reach of the tall and curious stranger. She reached out with great apprehension and tapped him a couple times on the forearm before leaping backward in defense. Brodey poked his head up slightly, his shockingly blue eyes glistening, and stared quizzically at her.   
  
"You dropped this."   
  
Brodey eyed the weapon she'd extended to him. "Thanks," He muttered as he grabbed it from her and placed it on the table. He then sighed raggedly, slumping down in his seat and running a hand through his sweat streaked hair.   
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, pulling up a chair across from where he sat.   
Brodey shook his head furiously. "Water," He croaked.   
  
"Barkeep!" Jaina shouted. "Get this man some water."   
  
The bartender, who had been betting on the outcome of the fight, was so shocked by the insistent tone of her voice that he dropped the credits he'd been holding and raced behind the bar. A few of his fellow gamblers tried their best to take advantage of the situation before they realized there was a jedi present and guiltily returned the credits to their rightful owner.   
  
A waiter droid brought the glass of what could supposedly pass for drinkable water on this planet over and Solo's daughter took it and handed it to Brodey. He wrinkled his nose at the high chemical content before downing the entire glass in one gulp. The automatic retch that followed informed him that maybe caf would have been a better choice.   
  
"Thank you," He gasped, finally looking her directly in the eye.   
  
The young woman still wore a baffled expression as she looked upon him. "Why did you stop fighting all of a sudden?"   
  
"Conscience crept up on me," He answered cryptically.   
  
"Aha, I see," She said skeptically. "What was it that triggered this attack of conscience?"   
  
"He said your name was Solo," Brodey answered dryly. "A guy named Solo got me into the Rogues and when the name was mentioned I immediately thought of him. A little too late, I might add."   
  
"There's only one man named Solo that has that type of connections, and he's my father," She replied and Brodey's suspicions were proved correct. "My name's Jaina, by the way."   
  
"I figured you were his daughter," Brodey replied, extending his hand. "You look a lot like him."   
  
"Really? That's strange. I always get compared to my mother," She laughed, grasping his hand in a firm shake. "So you must be the guy who shot all those coralskippers off my father's back near Endor. I've heard a lot about you."   
  
A slight twitch of her face and ripple in the force informed him of the conflicting emotions Jaina was experiencing. He couldn't blame her. On one hand she was sitting across from the vicious dark jedi that had assaulted Kyp, insulted her, and challenged her to a duel that most certainly would have been to the death if Wes hadn't said something. On the other hand, she noted, this young man sitting before her was the reason she still had a father. She didn't know whether to slap him or hug him. She knew one thing for certain. She would never again blindly trust her father's ability to judge character.   
  
"Listen," He began. "What I did to you and to Kyp was wrong. I acted like a jerk and I'm sorry."   
  
"I'll accept that," She said sternly. "What I can't accept is your intent to do great physical harm to me. You were going to kill me, weren't you?"   
  
Brodey nodded slowly. "I lost control and was overcome by the dark side."   
  
"You obviously have quite a history, don't you?" She asked scornfully. "I'm amazed that the mention of my father's name brought you to a halt."   
  
"Han's important to me."   
  
"He is to me too," She snapped and then pointed to Kyp. "Same with this jerk over there. Don't think I don't realize how infuriating he can be. You just need to learn to deal with him."   
  
"Who says I need to learn to deal with him at all?" Brodey hissed indignantly.   
  
"Calm down, I was being general with that statement," Jaina said seriously, placing a calming hand on his arm. On the floor Kyp began to stir, as if in unconsciousness he somehow knew they were talking about him. Jaina glanced over at him and smiled fiendishly. "Besides, I think he sort of deserved it."   
  
"So does your father," Brodey added as Kyp groaned and picked himself off the floor.   
  
"You crazy monkey lizard," Kyp snapped. "I was trying to help, you little brat!"   
  
"I don't need your help," Brodey said coldly, standing up and drawing himself to his full height.   
  
"Obviously not," Kyp snorted as he rubbed his head.   
  
"Don't start again," Jaina warned, standing between the two men. "Or I'll hurt both of you."   
  
Brodey stared menacingly at Kyp but managed to keep his temper in check. "Why do you think I need help?"


	6. Mistrust

"If you must know, my buddy Han told me you were in need of a little guidance," Kyp groaned, still holding his head. "That's the last time I take his advice!"   
  
Brodey chuckled softly, finally realizing what Han had been up to. "You're Han's friend too, huh? You do realize he just played you for a fool, right?"   
  
"I don't follow you," Kyp replied, looking thoroughly confused.   
  
"Han told me to give you hell if you ever bothered me," Brodey said, laughing even harder. "And he told you to bother me! He wanted you to get beat up!"   
  
Kyp shook his head in disbelief, a dazed half smile appearing on his face. "Jaina, don't be surprised by my behavior the next time we go see your Dad."   
  
"Maybe he just realizes you need a good smacking around sometimes," Brodey suggested, earning a dirty look from Kyp.   
  
"Maybe you should keep your mouth shut sometimes. Have you ever thought about that?" Kyp snapped back.   
  
Jaina stood between the both of them and pushed them back, just to remind them of her presence. "Boys, maybe we should exit the playpen and start discussing things in a mature manner?"   
  
"I think that's a good idea, Jaina," Kyp agreed.   
  
"Kiss up," Taunted Brodey.   
  
"You shut up!" Kyp growled. "Jaina, give him the speech before I kill him."   
  
Jaina crossed her arms in front of her chest and began. "In case you haven't noticed, Lieutenant, you're now without a squadron. You've also demonstrated dark side powers for everyone in this cantina. I'd say you were in a lot of trouble right now. However, there is a simple way to make things better and get out of all of this."   
  
"I could kill him," Brodey commented. "That would at least make things better."   
  
"Shut up," She said frigidly. "The only way out of this mess is if you join Twin Suns Squadron. You'd be a good addition to the team."   
  
"Me, join Health Spa Squadron?" Brodey scoffed. "Only if you let me maim Kyp every day."   
  
"Like I said Lieutenant, you don't have much of a choice," Jaina replied. "Either you join us or we turn you over to the Vong."   
  
"You really do take after your father," Brodey said, shaking his head. "Fine, I'll agree to this for Han's sake."   
  
"Good," Jaina said, nodding back at him. "Party's over! Get back to your drinking!" She yelled and everyone turned back around except for a few pilots wearing jumpsuits that matched hers and Kyp's. They all appeared happy to have a new pilot. All but one.   
  
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" A young man with short dark hair asked as he sided up next to her when she walked by. "You saw him. He's like a loose canon!"   
  
"Yes Colonel, I do believe this is a good idea," She said dryly, without any sign of emotion. The dark haired man looked warily at Brodey, who stared right back, the corner of his mouth curling upward in contempt. "Time to head out."   
  
"Vapin' Vong," Wes cussed as he watched them leave. "That guy had more than a few screws loose."   
  
He jumped back as the ale mug in his hand shattered, spilling his beverage in all directions. He turned sharply toward the door, meeting eyes briefly with Brodey. The youth threw a sinister grin back at him and Wes gulped.   
  
"Like I said, a really nice, funny guy," He groaned and then asked the bartender for a new mug.


End file.
